The Man with the Tankard — Dutch School, 17th Century

Oil on canvas depicting The Man with the Tankard, attributed to Frans Hals, Dutch school of the 17th century.
Private collection.
A beautiful 19th-century carved wooden frame completes the presentation.

Dimensions:
Frame: H. 112 cm × W. 96 cm
Canvas: H. 92 cm × W. 72 cm

In very good condition.

This striking portrait, executed with a free and lively brushstroke, reflects a vivid and expressive painting style that was unique for its time, when most 17th-century painters favored precision and smooth surfaces.

Historical note:
Frans Hals (Antwerp, c. 1582 – Haarlem, August 26, 1666) was a Dutch Baroque painter of the Dutch Golden Age, considered, alongside Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer, one of the most important artists of the period. Although probably of Flemish origin, he spent most of his life and career in the Dutch city of Haarlem from 1591 onward.

“He was a magnificently gifted man who painted to make a living, cavalierly, like a gentleman, eager to work quickly and be done; the rest of the time a bon vivant, companion of the chamber Liefde boven al (Love above all), with a turbulent character and temperament that explain the vigor of his brush.” These lines, written in 1921 by Louis Gillet, illustrate the image long associated with Frans Hals.

A major artist and one of the greatest portrait painters of his time, he also produced several genre scenes, particularly early in his career. His paintings are distinguished by their expressiveness, and his loose, visible brushstrokes are characteristic of his manner. He played an important role in introducing this lively handling into Dutch painting.

More than two centuries later, his style exerted a considerable influence on Realist painters such as Gustave Courbet and Impressionist artists such as Vincent van Gogh.